


Shouldering Your Stress

by Bandshe



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Depression, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-02-18
Packaged: 2018-05-21 13:04:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6052659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bandshe/pseuds/Bandshe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After months of falling further into her depression, Anders finally has found a way to get her to smile again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shouldering Your Stress

The curtains were drawn and the covers were pulled over her head. She was thankful that Anders was at work, that he didn’t have to see her like this, again. For months she had began to feel herself spiral out of control. She was overworking herself and she couldn’t afford to take a vacation. With personal losses and other stressors she didn’t have any time to herself. 

Anders tried helping her as much as he could, but up until recently they hadn’t moved in with each other and he was resigned to hear about her suffering through mutual friends. He didn’t ask her to move in because he was worried about her, he asked her because he loved her, he saw a future with her.

The light on her phone turned on, she was getting a message, or a phone call; either way she wasn’t in the mood to interact with anyone. After a while the room went dark again, but it wasn’t long before her phone’s display lit up again. She groaned and picked up her phone and flipped it on it’s face.

“Fuck off.” she sank deeper into her bed. She forgot that she couldn’t simply stay in her room all day now that she shared it with Anders. Her lids were heavy and soon she was taken by sleep. 

When she woke up she could hear someone in the kitchen. She wondered if it was Anders. She turned to look at the clock, but it was too soon. There were only two other people that it could be and she didn’t want to see either. _Maybe they won’t know I’m home._ She listened carefully as the footsteps drew closer to her room. Her chest tightened at the thought of having to explain herself to whoever was at the other side of the door. There was a knock on the door, she debated on responding but she knew if she didn’t whoever was on the other side would burst in. 

“June? Tap once if you’re alive, tap twice if you’re not.”

“Leave me alone, Alistair.”

“Hah, you live. Such fortuitous news, I shall tell all of Thedas now.”

“Stop being a smart ass. Can you leave me alone?” June groaned as she wrapped the blankets snuggly around her.

“Anders is worried, we all are. We’ve been trying to call and text you, but no one has gotten through. Will you at least let us know what’s going on? Please.”

“Andraste’s tits, I don’t want to talk to you, to Nate, to Wynne or Oghren. Don’t even bother trying to track Morrigan down because I won’t talk to her either.”

“Good, because the last person I want to see is Morrigan. I mean she’d know I’m desperate if I showed at her door. You know how I hate looking desperate.” he chuckled.

“I’m alive, go tell Anders or whoever you want that I’m still breathing and not to worry.”

“How do you expect us not to worry? You’ve been drifting further and further away and you refuse to talk to anyone. You have so much on your plate, let us shoulder some of that burden, or at least let us try. We love you, June. If you want to be left alone, fine. I’ll just let Anders know you’re at least alive.”

She heard him walk down the hall and a few moments later heard the door slam as he left. Alistair never slammed doors unless he was furious and if anything warranted his wrath it was his friend’s refusal of assistance. Despite her momentary worry about upsetting her friend she slid under the covers once more, but this time it wasn’t so easy to fall asleep. She grumbled a bit before throwing the covers off and turning on the lamp on her bedside table. She grabbed her phone and turned it over. She had missed twenty calls from Anders and he had left even more worried messages. There was a part of her that tried to get her to message him back that she was ok, but she didn’t feel like talking. Besides, she would've been lying if she said she was doing fine.

She walked by the mirror and frowned when she saw how horrible she looked. She clenched her jaw, but managed to open some drawers and pull out some clean clothes and she walked to the bathroom. 

She stood in front of the tub and wondered if she should take a bath or shower instead. _Why not both?_ She got undressed and turned the knob and let the water heat up before stepping into the tub. The one thing she loved the most about the shower was the high water pressure. The sensation of the water beating on her back was soothing, it was like a massage. Once she was washed up she stopped up the tub and let the water rise. She added some scented oils and even made herself a bubble bath. Soon June began to unwind. She lay in the tub surrounded by large mounds of bubbles. 

She didn’t know how long she was in the bath for, but it didn’t seem to matter. June chided herself for not doing this sooner, maybe this was what she needed the whole time. June played with the bubbles in the tub like she used to when she was with Anders. Maker, he did always manage to bring a smile to her face. She heard someone come down the hall and head into her room. It was too early for Anders to be home, and she was sure that it was either Alistair again or Nathaniel. Whoever it was this time, would know she was in the bathroom. She waited and listened to make sure she wasn’t going to be bothered again. It would be another few moments before she heard a gentle knock on the door.

“June bug? Can I come in?” his voice wavered a bit, she could tell he had been crying and the sudden surge of guilt washed over her. How could she refuse him now? She’d only feel worse about turning him away.

“Why are you home so early?” her voice was barely audible to him.

“If you let me in, I’ll tell you.”

“Ah, ultimatums. I thought that was beneath you.”

“You don’t know me as well as I’d hoped then.” 

“Fine, come in.” 

Anders opened the door slowly and sat besides the tub. He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. “You don’t have to shut yourself in the room you know. You also don’t have to shut everyone out and shoulder all your stresses alone, Love.”

“But they’re my stresses.” she pulled her hand away.

“As long as we’re together, they’re our stresses and I’ll help you carry them. Sometimes stress is too much for one person to bear. Just relax and let me do what I can to bring back that gorgeous smile of yours.” Anders kissed her lips gently and he smiled as he felt her pull him in for a much less chaste kiss. He swallowed her moans happily, knowing each one was a moan of pleasure, something he wanted her to feel once more.

He moved his hand to her breast and rolled her nipple between his fingers. He felt her bite his lip, almost in protest before he stopped.

“Not here, I mean I wouldn’t mind normally, but I’m a bit pruney.” she smiled as he grumbled and pulled away. She let the water drain from the tub and turned on the shower to wash the remainder of the bubbles off of her body.

“Don’t need to worry about that, you’ll be back here in a few hours anyways.” Anders took her hand and helped her out and then he handed her a towel. 

She took the towel and wrapped around herself before grabbing her clean clothes and walking out of the bathroom. She walked ahead of Anders and slipped back into their room. This time the blinds were opened and the sheets on the bed changed as well as a bowl of chocolate covered strawberries on the side table with a few scented oils ready to be used.

“Woah now, handsome. What is all this about?” she threw her clothes on the bed.

Anders picked up her clothes and put them on the dresser before pulling her in. “You’re in need of some de stressing, so I figured some of your favorite dessert and a good massage will help for a bit.”

“A massage? Really? I thought you knew me.” she smirked as she let her towel drop.

“Mmm, I’d like to get to know you better. That is, if you’d let me.” Anders bit his lower lip as he traced over her breast with the tip of his finger. “So, are you refusing this massage?” he asked before he kissed her.

“Of course not, I’ll try anything once.” she crawled onto the bed and laid on her stomach waiting for him to get into position. “I’m ready when you are, Anders.”

Anders took some oil and rubbed it in his hands to warm it up. The aroma of citrus filled the air, bergamot, a favorite of hers and one he knew always calmed her down. He rubbed her shoulders, she didn’t know how much she needed it until she could feel her muscles ease up. She moaned her gratitude and that just spurred him on. His fingers seemed to penetrated further into the muscles, massaging out each knot. The more he did it, the more she wanted it. 

“Get on your back, love.” he moved to the side allowing for her to reposition herself.

“Maker, the sheets will be a mess after this.” she groaned.

“It’s alright, I’ll take care of it.”

“Anders, the last time you took care of laundry you came back with stained clothes. How is that even possible?”

“I meant Alistair will do the laundry.” Anders smiled as he grabbed a strawberry by the stem and fed it to her. It took everything in his power not to strip down and take her in his arms. He ached for her, but he wanted to ease her tension before he did anything else.

He poured some more oil in his hands and rubbed them together. Slowly he worked his way from her shoulders and down to her toes; lingering in certain places longer than he should. Sometimes getting more intimate with certain areas. Each flutter of her lashes, each twitch of her lips and each quiet little moan was enough to let him know she was doing at least a little bit better.

“Anders, stop.”

“I thought you were enjoying it. Well, it seemed as if you were more than enjoying it in certain places.”

“Yeah, I’m sure professional massage therapists don’t focus on the clitoris and breasts.”

“They don’t? Andraste’s knicker weasels, I’ve been going to the wrong places.” he feigned shock.

“Just lay with me.” She pulled him down on top of her and pressed her lips against his. “Now take off your clothes and show me what else a professional massage therapist does to ease away tension.”

“Oh you frisky little minx. Is it time for me to switch up to lube?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Anders. One step at a time.”

“Of course.”

“I love you.” those were the only words he wanted to hear. A thank you wouldn’t have conveyed enough gratitude, but her saying those three words meant that she was not only thankful but that she trusted him enough to help ease away her tensions.

“I love you too.”


End file.
